It's placing limits on things in life that you can accept. By engaging in this kind of thing you aren't interacting with the universe, you're trying to control it.
It's placing limits on things in life that you can accept. By engaging in this kind of thing you aren't interacting with the universe, you're trying to control it.
mrtn
Dagobah Resident
You might want to read this post:
Pineal gland depicted by the "eye of Ra"?
This thread is also related to the subject i think:
Carl Jung's Secret Life: "The "Aryan Christ" - something rotten in Jungian psychology?
Daily routine probably means be prepared for the most likely while paying attention to variances to adapt your response/behaviour appropriately. Ritual has something to it like behaving in one strict way so that reality will finally catch up to match your intention. While this may even work under some circumstances it smells conceitful. If you want to change then you might consider something similar to a ritual but which requires discipline and effort, like this for example:
Body by Science / HIIT Experiment
If you just want to 'get' something or have an urge for some wisdom then you are hungry and as such your awareness is limited and you're more likely to become prey, especially in other realms.
This is a very interesting remark. Reminds me of "when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes into you" (Nietzsche). One of the meanings is that some researches, even though theoretical only, can have harmful results. So, how do we know if we are able to bear the cost of studying a "dangerous topic" ?
I sometimes read books about spiritual warfare/intercession/intercessory prayers and also about the opposite side : withcraft and magick (spelled with a K to distinguish it from the sleight-of-hand magic) to see the bigger picture. I remember having read on Sott (i think on the french version of it but cannot find the article) that the annual number of exorcisms has been multiplied by more than 3 (15 to 50) in Ile de France (i live there) in the last few years and that witchcraft is widely practiced in this region. Personally, i do not like studying dark arts at all. Still, they are part of the world and necessary to expand comprehension. Reading about love magick can be funny, love spells having the reputation to be the most cast spells (if this is true and also that money spells come next, this makes me wonder what the main raison d'être of magick is). But topics such goetia, santeria, palo mayombe (type of voodoo) and their so very wicked practices, is heavy to me. For instance, i avoid taking looks at demonic sigils. I've reduced enquiries on it to focus on brighter topics. Good for me, no harm of any kind so far.
So, knowledge protects. To which extent can knowledge destroy ?
Gratefully
Curious Beagle
Jedi
If my understanding of spirituality is correct suffering/backlash comes from two opposing directional friction. Example if your spirit yearn for light but you prefer to do dark things (we are only sto candidate after all) then suffering occur as a sign that you should choose side. (yes inner peace of the dark side is possible, the more you distort and harm other the more pleasure and effort you gain from it thus mastery. Apprentice would only manipulate but easy to detect but a master would make it look like you want it yourself). The reason why most spirituality put a lot of emphasis on your vibration is you can't really take a short cut in raising your vibration with magic (crystal, etc). It takes a lot of time to remove your blockage through self development or purification (in sto or sts direction). We can discuss example of love or money magic given above. We all know you can't force to love where there is no love especially when there is a big gap in vibration ( I never understand angel love demon movie, not going to happen unless one side switch side aka the spiritual war). You can charm someone but after a bit you realize what a bad person is the charmer. Or money spell, some people just have the ability to work effortlessly because they enjoy what they do (sadly any kind of ability require a lot of effort to mastery). If you just get the money not working (winning lottery) you will probably lost it very fast.
If you are not attracted to "dark" things, but are studying in an effort to understand and thereby avoid falling into snares yourself, that very attitude is protective. I've spent a LOT of time on such studies because it has been my INTENTION to learn in order to try to figure out warning signs; yea
Andrey
Jedi
It is interesting reading through some of the preconceived notions of some of the posters regarding the "dark arts." It is not all about controlling/enslaving others. Many people mostly get into it for it's dark aesthetic value combined with a need for self-empowerment, individuality and a general need to escape from mass social/cultural/religious conditioning, though I agree it is still a limiting sentiment. For example, Anton Lavey's satanic bible is essentially Ayn Rand literature on individuality dressed up in satanic psychodrama. I agree it can be "dangerous" but the people getting into it are actually a million times nicer than your average street corner fundamentalist.
The more i study it (i've not really been far), the more i feel repelled. That's why i've reduced time spent on it. Dark things are not my business.
I think we should not mix basic practitioners with high ranking ones. For example wiccan covens, usually made of 13 women like the number of yearly moons, may not be a problem at all and be nice people. If they cast magick circles and do love magick, money magick, worship nature, talk to the sun or even do intranquil work, then good for them. (i do not endorse intranquil work) Many of their activities are mentioned at witchvox.com.
But what about high ranking paleros as exposed by John Ramirez ? He says that he was a palero tata and satanist number 3 of New York before turning to Christ. These appear to be well organised groups full of ill intents. Have these people not the power to cause much harm ?
It seems only the top layers of dark art practioners have power. They are not nice guys.
Andrey
Jedi
Would you say it's relatively harmless (in comparison to high ranking practioners) to study or even practice some aspects of the dark arts as long as your ethics are in check. I am interested in self-empowerment, self-improvement, etc., but of course without harming anyone. There is a wealth of interesting knowledge and information in many black magical texts, from my personal experience. Chaos magick, Western Left Hand Path organizations like the Temple of Set, Eastern Tantra, Etc.
I agree on the fact that dark arts do not lead to self-improvement, but i wonder if they may not lead to a sort of self-empowerment. May i ask if you have checked the works of John Ramirez ? Is there any value in his books and videos, or is basically bullshit ? (i hope my words do not sound offensive. I'm a french speaking person and have no intent to offense anyone). A short video of his that exposes some of the powers he got from practicing palo mayombe is this one. It is in english with french subtitles and i was not able to find a version without subtitles.
_
I would also like to ask the same question about the works of C. Peter Wagner, who discusses spiritual warfare and warfare prayers in his books, like warfare prayers. He is not the only one to have written about it. Another author is John Paul Jackson, who has written Needless casualties of war, and there are also other ones. The intercessory prayer teams they both mention are supposed to counterbalance the evil deeds of devil worshipping groups. Is this also entirely false ? Why would such practices even exist if dark practioners were harmless ?
I have never tried to practice any kind of magic and i do not want to do it. Consequently, i cannot tell you if practicing is harmless or not. I would just like to tell you that it would be good to really know what you are doing and who you contact. For example, one of the basics of magick is casting magick circles. Magick circles do not seem to question ethics. What i'd like to know is who you call when you say sentences like “Spirits of Earth, I call on you” or "guardians of the north, i call on you". Who or what will answer you call ? There are also many other practices in magick that look harmless but may not be that harmless.
There is a "spiritual industry" of people casting love spells, money spells and other ones for you. It is a good business with prices like 1000+ dollars for a love spell that may fail. An interesting person of this industry is Hatian bokor Leonard Elmera who has posted many interesting youtube video on the topic of magick. I find his videos informative.
Thank you !
I don't think "self empowerment" for it's own sake is STO. Maybe self-preservation is necessary by way of "knowledge protects" but if you think that everything exits for you to "overcome and control" then I think you could be going in the wrong direction.
Session 28 September 2002:
Finding empowerment by trying to understand the thinking errors of psychopaths may be useful such as reading Inside the Criminal Mind by Samenow (Raine, Samenow, Fallon: Neuropsychology & The Work) but trying to use the same tactics psychopaths use might be counterproductive I think.
Like "fighting fire with fire":
26 November 1994:
I suppose it depends on what "empowerment" means to you and how you plan to attain it.
Andrey
Jedi
I also doubt that actual practice will lead to anything positive, but I think studying and analyzing some aspects of it can be fruitful. But thats just me.
From my experience, there are many tools and resources within the overall knowledge base of many left hand path and chaos magical texts that are in and off themselves just harmless tools. Its what you do with it that matters.
From my experience, there are many tools and resources within the overall knowledge base of many left hand path and chaos magical texts that are in and off themselves just harmless tools. Its what you do with it that matters.
BlackCartouche
Jedi Master
If the art falls under the "dark" category, then what else is it utilized for, to do with for what, other than for a "dark" purpose? You can only get out of it what it says on the tin. It wouldn't be categorized under the "dark art" category otherwise.
Either that, or the "dark" terminology is wrong from the start because it isn't doing what it says on the tin.
Corvus
Dagobah Resident
Self empowerment means different things for different people depending on what kind of person you are, so for someone who is selfish and greedy it means getting more money, for someone who is control freak getting psychic powers, for others discovering their soul, etc... but to me it seems this whole magic business is based on fulfilling ones selfish desires even if on basic harmless level like getting more money, relationship, etc... so when that kind of things want to give a vibe of something spiritual they are, but not in a positive sense if people can make a difference which most can not.
